For this project I have collaborated with others that were involved in the JMUke and adaptive instrument engagement projects to create this curriculum. We combined the settings of both and implemented adaptive standards for students with disabilities. Through this experience I have learned more about using backwards design and having the end goal in mind before creating the experience and lesson plans. That way each activity and goal is connected and has a purpose that makes the whole experience meaningful in the lives of the students. 

For this experience I designed an instrument using the Makey-Makey and Scratch to code the instrument. I designed an experience so the participant can use the make-makey instrument to jam to a backtrack. The purpose of implementing an easy to use instrument in the experience is to limit barriers in the participants' musical creativity.  Social media was used in the experience to allow the music to reach a wider audience. 

Facilitating the event went differently than I expected it would. The event itself involved participants walking around the room to all of the different stations where students had their projects set up. Some participants that came to my station stayed for a minute or two and others stay longer to participate in the full experience and asked questions about my project. Because of this I had to be more flexible with my experience plan. It was difficult to assess growth with participants that chose to engage for a shorter period of time, and most didn't want to participate in the twitter hashtag and discussion. Only a small fraction of participants that engaged with my project took the handout. Overall, it was a good experience to learn how to be flexible and engage people in a short amount of time. I think the main purpose of my project was to show that there is a way to engage in a music making experience that is accessible and fun. I think that the majority of the participants who engaged with my project were able to get that message from the experience. 

For the student that I'm working with in the adaptive instrument engagement project, I wanted to take her needs into consideration while picking a song. I tried to find a song that could be played at a slow/moderate tempo and doesn't need fancy strumming patterns to accompany the melody. The student I'm working with has limited physical abilities and relies on her assistant to help her moves arms, hands, and wheelchair. 

I thought that "Let It Go" played at a slower tempo would be a good option. The student is in 4th grade so the song is age level appropriate and seems like it would be a familiar tune that is engaging to learn. With assistance, the student could play the song with quarter notes only at the chord changes at a moderate tempo with a downward strumming pattern. 

With the tabs I found online it just uses G,C,D, and Em which are some of the basic chords. (link for tabs here) 

Below is a video of Demi Lovato performing the song "Let it Go" from Disney's Frozen. 
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I picked these standards from the grade 4 general music Virginia Music Standards of Learning. 

4.1.5 - using a system to sight read melodic and rhythmic patterns 
The slides will indicate chord changes in half notes on the downbeats of the song. 

4.1.7 - identifying dynamic markings (e.g., p, mp, mf, f )
The chorus will be at forte and the verse will be at mezzo piano. 

4.2.1 - singing with a clear tone quality and correct intonation 
There will be a call and response activity for each phrase/motive in the song so the students can sing the right notes. Then I can talk about how to blend voices with everyone in the class and not sing too loud so all the students can hear each other and sing clearly. 

4.3.5 - accompanying songs and chants with I, IV, and V(V 7 ) chords 
The chorus in this song uses a I V vi IV I progression. The song is in the key of G and uses mostly beginner, basic chords. Since it is more than 3 chords in the song, for the activity I would split the class up so students take turns playing each chord. This way they don't have to all play every chord and can focus on learning just 1 or 2 at a time. 

4.3.6- demonstrating proper playing techniques 
Before learning the song, the students would have to learn how to hold the ukulele. As the teacher I would demonstrate and then have the students copy my technique and give necessary feedback. 

4 .1 1 The student will evaluate and critique music by
1. reviewing criteria used to evaluate compositions and performances; and
2. describing performances and offering constructive feedback.    
A good activity for this would be getting the students into groups and having them perform for each other. Then the other students can say what they liked about each performance and if they played the chords right and had good posture with the instrument. 

Earlier in the semester, I was assigned for MUED 271 to come up with an activity with my classmate, Ailish Hall (link to her portfolio post here). We were assigned to create an activity for the kindergarteners attending the event. The national anchor standard we were given was number 3 and stated that students will be able to, "Refine and complete artistic work". For this event, all of the students at the elementary school were able to go around into different classrooms were JMU students had stations set up with different activities. In this post I have inserted a video of Ailish and I demonstrating our lesson plan for the activity. 

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​When creating our activity we had to keep in mind the developmental stage at which the kindergarteners were at, their mental capabilities for that age group, and fine motor skills. Ailish and I settled on planning an activity based on a percussion circle. We decided that given the general music education they most likely would have received at that point it would be manageable for the kindergarteners to understand basic rhythms and sound production for simple percussion instruments. For our activity, we demonstrated rhythms and had the kids copy them on the drums. Then we had the kids get into groups and come up with their own rhythms. 

When we facilitated the activity at the actual event, it went slightly different than planned. Some of the groups of kindergarteners we had enjoyed creating their own, unique rhythms and demonstrating them for their friends. However, some had difficulty paying attention, and a few students had difficulty copying the rhythms we demonstrated. With the groups that didn't participate in the small group creative activity portion of our lesson plan, we finished our lesson plan in under 10 min. To make up for the time, Ailish and I had the kids follow our lead and play at loud and soft dynamics. The students responded really well to this activity and had a lot of fun. 

If I had to do this experience again I would make it a little less technical and more simple and engaging. I would incorporate more actions on the students part so the teacher does less explaining. I noticed when I talked in the activity that is where the students were less engaged. Overall, I really enjoyed the experience and I learned a lot more about how to teach that age group.